Personal Correspondence
by The Mad Hexers
Summary: The Marauders weren't Lily and James' only friends, and not everyone joined the Order. Some weren't even in England, like Angharad and Korri: their stories are told through their letters, and with them the story of the years when Voldemort was winning.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This fic is going to be written in letter format- letters from a runaway Quidditch-player to a travelling griffin-researcher. The connection? They both knew Lily and James, and they were at Hogwarts together. **_Please read and review!_**

-Rainstorm (May)

**Disclaimer:** Neither of us are J. K. Rowling.

* * *

Dear Angharad,

I hope this letter finds you in basically good health, no broken bones, huge bruises, or any of the other hundred and one injuries you tend to get from that silly game you're so fanatic about.

How is New Zealand? You put me in quite a spot when Arthur sent me that frantic owl, asking me if I knew where you had disappeared to, so of course I told him. He's terribly hurt, Angie. You might have at least OWLED him once you were well on your way… It's not fair for either me or Arthur that I had to break the news. And anyway, he took your side, didn't he?

And after that combination of a Remus-guilt trip and a Lily-lecture… Oh yeah, Lils is pregnant. You left right before they announced it. I told her it's a silly situation to have let Potter get her into, and she told me I'd change my tune when I got married.

Which won't be for some time, I imagine, since I shall be in the high Andes, researching the wonderful beastie known as the griffin. But not before running along the West coast of all the Americas sampling their chocolate.

What? It won't take long.

Anyway, I have a few 'other things' that need doing as I go along the coast, but I'm not risking writing them down.

I shall send you samples of the best chocolate, but only if you reply promptly and with a nice, long one. Else-wise Athena shall peck your fingers until you get cracking.

-Korri

* * *

Dear Korri, 

Actually, I was in perfect health until that bloody owl of yours entered the scene. Believe it or not, she pretty much attacked me in the middle of a Quidditch practice. That took some explaining. Thanks, Korri. Thanks.

New Zealand is lovely. It's nice and hot, none of the blasted rain we get in England at the moment. And Korri, I couldn't do anything else! He'd have woken the family up, and then I'd never have got away. He owled me. Tell him from me I'm not coming back, will you? I've had three since your letter arrived, and my fingers are a gory mess. I just hope I can play on Friday.

Oh really? I didn't notice. He faded into the background, really.

Remus guilt-tripped you? I'll have to owl him, it's not your fault I packed up and left. Which address is he at now?

Oh, how lovely for her and James. Give her my congratulations, will you? Sorry for all the messages: we're not so paranoid here in NZ as we are at home.

Griffins? Sounds like fun. Chocolate? More fun. Don't eat it all, though, save some for me! Is it better than Honeydukes'? And I'll take your word for it not taking you long. I hope this blasted owl can find you.

-Angharad


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Even though we havn't got any reviews, I'm posting anyway. That way it will stick up there!

* * *

Dear Angharad, 

I'll answer your questions, last to first; 'How are the others?'

They were alive and well when I left, but…this war I guess is the best word for it, it's turning out much more dangerous then any of us expected, I think. Nobody's dead……yet. But I shan't relay any more messages, you write them on your own, Angie dahling.

'Griffins? Sounds like fun. Chocolate? More fun. Don't eat it all, though, save some for me! '

So far it has nothing on Honeyduke's, I've even tried some of the Muggle chocolate. It's hardly worth spending gold on, so I shan't send you any samples, haha. But I've only tried a few stores, and I shall be traveling down the coast, so there's hope yet.

Remus actually did not guilt trip me, I was simply observing that the beginning of my letter was a sort of mix between Lily's lectures, and Remus's guilt trips.

Anymore? No.

News that I have so far, besides chocolate;

Morwen has taken a liking to San Francisco, as witnessed by her night-time wanderings. Lilly isn't the only one 'expecting' now…

_(here the words squiggle and turn if anyone besides Angharad reads them)_

Dumbledore has sent me to gather allies from the States, and possibly from the rest of Central America, if I can. There might be giants in the Andes that will respond to us if I approach them right. He would have sent Hagrid, but well, he IS rather easy to follow, and I was going anyway.

Isn't this a wonderful spell? If anyone actually finds a way to take it off, the letter will turn into meaningless gossip from home, nothing important.

Anyway, Athena won't peck you this time. But if you wait longer then a day to respond, she'll follow you around letting out a screech when you least expect it. And Barn Owls have such lovely screeches.

Haven't I got the best trained owl anywhere?

Use her, would you? The one you sent had very bad manners, and I'm not talking about pecking me until I sent a reply.

If we can arrange it, I know a Muggle way for talking to each other, that doesn't involve fires.

-Korri

* * *

Dear Korri, 

I'm going to sound like a coward now, but I'm so glad I'm out of there.

Of course, next thing you know it'll spread over here too. There were a few more Muggle-baitings recently, more than I'm told's normal, so I'm wondering if that has anything to do with it, although everyone I asksays I'm just being paranoid…. Maybe I am. Here's to hoping we all come out of this in one piece.

I've never tried Muggle chocolate, so I can't recommend any good stores… never mind, I'm sure you'll find the good ones.

Good. I didn't see it, sorry, but now you mention it, though, it did remind me of a Remus-guilt-trip. More like that than a Lily-lecture, though. Lily-lectures come armed with spells that stick you to your desk so you have to do your Potions revision.

Hagrid's even more visible than I am, so I suppose it was the right decision to send you, strategically speaking, but I can't help thinking it's really dangerous. Do try not to get killed. Remus, or Lily, or Sirius, or whoever, will have a horrible time explaining to your parents. Which reminds me: are you still dating Sirius?

It is a good spell, too. What's the incantation? Did James come up with it, or was it Lily?

Athena had better not peck me. They use Muggle plasters over here, and if I ever knew anything worse for sticking to fingers and doors and tables and random items of clothing and even Quaffles, I've forgotten it.

Haha. I'm almost tempted to ask- yes, I think I will –what'd it do?

I'll try. Frankly, I don't know if my landlady will let me- she already thinks I'm more than a touch 'fast', as Molly likes to say in her more prudish moods, because I play Quidditch. Korri, the expression on her face when she spotted my new Quidditch robes!... You would've loved it. It was just priceless. Everyone roots for the Moutohora Macaws over here, so everyone knows the team colours (red, yellow and blue… I clash. Horribly. It's funny.)

-Angharad


	3. Chapter 3

Dear Angharad,

The owl wasn't HOUSE-trained, Angie! And further more it went after Morwen, which you know very well I will NOT tolerate.

Red, yellow, and blue? Absolutely HIDEOUS. Worse than your Gryffindor robes. You would look better in purple.

Why Muggle plasters? They don't have anyone as competent as Madame Pomfrey over there? I should think you had learned to do a proper healing charm after our sixth year's skirmishes.

Found some really good chocolate, as you shall see when you open that box. I can't tell if they're Muggles or wizards, it was open to Muggles, but the chocolate…!

_(here the words squirm as before)_

I don't consider you a coward at all, I feel rather relieved myself actually. I know some are going to be killed, it's inevitable, and I'm glad that I'm not going to have to watch it happen. I feel sorry for Lily though, imagine having to have a baby in the middle of all this!

As for me and Sirius dating…no. He's _really_ not my type. I wish him luck though, last I heard he and Sarah were still going strong.

I'm taking a ship for Panama tomorrow, so I'd better send this off. I have to catch Morwen long before hand, so she doesn't suspect anything. I believe I will come back again though, maybe after all this is done. I like it here. You ought to come as well, if you can take time off from your practices for more then three days.

We'll eat lots of chocolate!

-Korri

p.s. Came up with the spell myself, and I'm rather hurt you didn't know that right away.

* * *

Dear Korri, 

Oh, it did, did it? I'm complaining, the shop said it was trained to cause no disruption in the house of the receiver that any missives sent didn't cause. If I get a refund I'll split it with you.

As for the robes, well, at least I won't get lost. Besides, when you're as ginger as I am you clash with everything. It comes with the genes.

Well, they do, but New Zealand's different. The wizards here are more inclined to pay attention to Muggle ideas, that's why the Muggle-baiting surprised me so much. I think it's partly because there are so few purebloods here, due to the fact that they couldn't be bothered to emigrate to New Zealand. I must be one of about ten on the entire island. Muggle plasters are quite good for little cuts and stuff actually, and you can get them in all different colours. Did you know they use arnica for bruises too?

I know what you mean; I tried it, and it was delicious. Better than Honeyduke's even, and since they don't have a branch of Honeyduke's here I'll have to try and find this brand or a similar one.

_(here the words wriggle; an attempted casting of Korri's spell, not too bad)_

I'm glad I still have your good opinion. I'd be afraid to say such a thing to Sarah or Dorcas, I wouldn't to Patty although that's because I don't know where she is, and it's certainly not a sentiment (is that spelt right?) I'd share with a Marauder. Even if I knew where all four of them were, which I don't. Isn't it odd? We leave school hoping to be best friends forever and within only a couple of years half of us don't know where the rest of us are. Of course, if Lily wants to decamp to here –or James makes her, one of the two- on account of it likely being safer, she's very welcome. I sometimes want to talk to someone who knows what it's like in England right now. No-one thinks the backlash will reach here- I'm not sure. I feel so stupid- jumpy and paranoid, always looking over my shoulder.

Ah, right. I know what you mean. Actually, I got an extremely blotched letter from Sarah yesterday- I could hardly read it. Apparently, she's going into hiding with her sister and Sirius is not. Hence a rift, which will probably be gone quicker than blink. I would dearly love to know how she got my address, though.

I'd love to join you for a bit. There's a good clear two weeks after the Australasian Open Quidditch tournament finishes, in which we get to practice for ourselves instead of coming to team practices- where will you be? I can come, so long as I attend the all-team practice on the twelfth of September, but not before. I'm a reserve Chaser at the moment, but I'm in the reserve squad so I could be substituted into any of the matches coming up. It's not very likely, because there are two Keeper subs, three Beater subs, four Seeker subs, but no fewer than _six_ Chaser subs. But it's a possibility. Wish me luck!

-Angharad

P.S. I was teasing!

* * *

This is Lady of the Bookworms posting whilst waiting for the library to open. Rainstorm is already ABLE to read the seventh book (aaaaaaaaaaaargh!) 

Thanks Kmiri Kalasin for being our first reviewer!

Disclaimer as usual; see previous chapters.


	4. Chapter 4

Dear Angharad,

I know you were teasing, I was teasing back, silly.

Hm, after the Open, but before the eleventh shall we say? Excellent, I shall be in Brazil if all goes well, and we'll take a ship down the Amazon.

You know what? Even after this whole thing is over, I don't WANT to live in England anymore. I like the Americas, though I can't decide whether I like the U.S. or Central or South better. You shall help me decide.

_(the words squiggle)_

Does it seem selfish to you that we shall be having all this fun all the while our friends in England are fighting for their lives? I convince myself that I'm here on Dumbledore's orders, but of course there's that little voice inside… So to shut it up I've been sounding out some of my fellow tourists, there's quite a few who are looking to migrate west of Europe, wanting to get out of 'it'. Not many are interested in a secret Order intent on fighting back, they just want to stay away. Can't say I blame them much. Though when I talked to some of the 'natives'… 

You know just for laughs I stopped in Texas when I first arrived, I wanted to see if anybody actually USES those phrases Sarah was always using as insults. The answer? Not many. She was very indignant at my letter though…said she heard them all from her cousin's friend, who's a cattle rancher in the Panhandle. Personally I think they were having a joke on her.

Anyway, back on track, there were a few of the younger type, you know, of age, out of school, but just barely, who seemed excited by the thought of a war.

Idiots.

Didn't stop me from recruiting them, but it makes me feel a bit evil, watching them talk about what they're going to do when they 'catch themselves a Deatheater' etc…but then they ignore me when I try to describe what it's really like, and so I just feel angry.  
Sooo many complaints, get your redheaded self down here and help me out of this horrible depression. We shall compare countries and chocolate, put Flashing Neon Signs that say rude things on the snobby Pureblood tourists, who are rude to the waiters/waitresses in the restaurants, compare chocolates, reminisce about our End of Hogwarts, duel with Pauline Rayner and Eveline Frine, and last but most definitely not least…compare chocolates.

I heard from Sarah that Pauline still hasn't been able to get my Medusa Head Hex off. She says it annoys Pauline to no end that she can't call such-and-such a 'Mudblood' without Horrible Embarrassment. Ah, good times, good times…

-Korri

* * *

Dear Korri,

Yes, that sounds good. Twentieth of July to the tenth of September suit you? Perhaps you'll even decide to come and join me in New Zealand.

While we're dealing with holidays, it's sunny here throughout Christmas and New Year, are you busy then? You can Portkey across to some of those tiny islands, or even Apparate sometimes. It'd only take two or three hops, and you can wait a day or so in between.

_ (Words squiggle again; more accomplished attempt at the spell)_

Yes. And no. I know what you mean; and the worst is I'm only here because I couldn't stand up to Dad enough for the family to allow me to take a place at an English Quidditch team- that and I've always wanted to travel.

I sometimes wish I had taken the place with the Caerphilly Caterpillars (I know I didn't spell that right.) Funny, isn't it? All the Europeans just want OUT, like you said. Kiwis (New Zealanders) are as calm about it as they are about nearly everything else. Americans, on the other hand… the Sweetwater All-Stars were here not so long ago, and if I've ever met a more gung-ho set of individuals I have mercifully forgotten them.

And as for those school kids you recruited, that's another odd thing. I mean, they must be about our age, right? They sound like thick-headed idiots. What Binns liked to call 'cannon fodder', which I think means something like 'people who're only here to die' but have not got a clue.

Do you remember that nice Muggleborn girl in Ravenclaw, I think her name was Jean? One of Dorcas's friends? Used to be a damn marvel at Transfiguration? I got hold of a copy of the Prophet the other day- don't know if you still take it. Apparently Bella Black killed her and her family. We were at school with these killers. Jesus Christ, why didn't we have them locked up before they got started?

I don't know if you knew Sarah then, but in fourth year she used to just swear straight out. McGonagall gave her six detentions in one year because of it, and everyone was getting really bored of the resulting Lily-lectures, so I'm sort of glad she moved on to the weird cowboy-cusses. But I wish I could have seen her face when she got that owl!

Oh yes. With alacrity. (A Lily word. She did wonders for my vocabulary.) We shall eat chocolate, and gossip, and you shall moan about my clashing with everything and (worse) not giving a damn, and we shall draft trick letters to Eveline Frine and Pauline Rayner, and send owls to Lily and Remus and James and Sirius and Dorcas and all the other correspondents I'll bet you've been neglecting the same way I have, and we shall snicker at the snobs and I shall teach you how to fly. Finally. I keep telling you I think you could be a really good Keeper.

Bwahaha. That spell was a treasure. You just made my day a bit brighter- guess who was reading owls and being pep-talked in the general direction of? Don't worry, I was paying attention in the strategy bit.

-Angharad

P.S. We won against the Woollongong Warriors! 195-57 to the Macaws!

* * *

Rainstorm's on vacation and I got lazy. To all those people who I KNOW are at least glancing at this; Please review, we want to know your opinion. And I know perfectly well the words are all clumped together, but I've changed them twice and it wont take.

_Fortunately, my changing it does take. :p -Rainstorm_


End file.
